7 Best Sweet Chili Sauce Substitutes (2024)

If you're looking for a way to add a sweet and spicy kick to your dish but don't have any sweet chili sauce on hand, don't worry! There are several sweet chili sauce substitutes that can work just as well in your recipe. Whether you're looking for a quick fix or a healthier alternative, there are plenty of options to choose from. In this article, we'll explore some of the best substitutes for sweet chili sauce (or sweet Thai chili sauce) that you can use in a pinch. So, let's find the most perfect sweet chili sauce substitute for you.

🤔 What is sweet chili sauce?

Sweet chili sauce is a popular condiment that originated in Thai cuisine (as Thai sweet chili sauce) but has become a staple in many kitchens worldwide. It's a thick, sweet, and spicy sauce that's made with chili peppers, vinegar, sugar, and sometimes garlic. The combination of sweet and spicy flavors makes it a versatile sauce that's commonly used as a dipping sauce for spring rolls or Thai corn cakes, a marinade, or as a stir fry sauce for vegetables, noodles and rice dishes. In addition, it's pretty easy to find sweet chili sauce in most grocery stores or supermarkets.

However, if you're in a pinch and don't have sweet chili sauce in your pantry, don't worry! In this article, we'll share with you some of the best substitutes for sweet chili sauce that you can use in your recipe. Whether you're looking for a quick fix or a healthier alternative, we'll provide you with some options that will work just as well.

Some people find that it even tastes a little bit similar to sweet and sour sauce, it's just a bit spicier! However, if you like spicy food try this sweet potato curry or this Thai basil tofu.

🌶 The Difference Between Chili Sauce And Sweet Chili Sauce

Chili sauce and sweet chili sauce may sound similar, but they are actually quite different.

Chili sauce is a spicy condiment that's typically made from red chili peppers, vinegar, and salt. It has a tangy and spicy flavor that's often used as a topping for hot dogs, burgers, and sandwiches.

On the other hand, sweet chili sauce is a sweet and spicy sauce that's made with chili peppers, vinegar, sugar, and sometimes garlic, this means it has a sweeter flavor. The balance of sweetness and heat means it is delicious as a dipping sauce or even in salad dressings. So, while both sauces may contain chili peppers, their flavor profiles and uses are distinct.

🌟 Best Sweet Chili Sauce Substitute

1. Simple homemade sweet chili sauce

So let's start with the best sweet chili sauce substitute (AKA sweet Thai chili sauce). It relies on you having a few cupboard staples already in your kitchen. That would be: vegan honey or maple syrup, chili flakes and white vinegar. This DIY sweet chili sauce brings together the key flavours of sweet chili sauce, but in a very basic way. It's sweet, spicy and a little bit sour. So, let's make your own sweet chili sauce - it's great in stir fries!

Mix 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes with 1 tablespoon white vinegar (or rice wine vinegar) and 1 tablespoon vegan honey or maple syrup.

Use this mixture in a 1:1 ratio for sweet chili sauce.

2. Sriracha sauce

Sriracha sauce is spicy, tangy and sweet hot sauce. While sriracha sauce is a good starting point for a sweet chili sauce substitute, it does need to be modified to replace sweet chili sauce in a better way. As it is probably spicier and tangier than a classic sweet chili, it should be mixed with some sweetener.

To substitute sweet chili sauce, mix 1 tablespoon of sriracha sauce with ½ tablespoon of maple syrup or vegan honey.

Use this mixture in a 1:1 ratio as a sweet chili sauce substitute.

3. Chilli Garlic Sauce

Chili garlic sauce is made with chili peppers, garlic, rice vinegar, and salt and has a savory flavor. It can be bought from any oriental supermarket. It has a similar hot sauce flavour to sweet chili sauce or sriracha, and that is why it makes a great substitute for sweet chili sauce.

Do bear in mind that chili garlic sauce, unlike sweet chili sauce has quite a bit of garlic, or maybe garlic paste, in it. That means it has a garlicky flavour, along with sweetness, spiciness and a little sourness. While it is somewhat similar, it is also a chunky sauce, so it has some whole pieces of chilli and seeds in it.

Chilli garlic sauce, which is also sometimes a honey chili garlic sauce (but that isn't vegan so we don't recommend it), is a good substitute for sweet chili sauce.

Use in a 1:1 ratio as a sweet chili sauce substitute.

4. Spicy Ketchup

If you can buy spicy ketchup in the supermarket, then this will be an OK sweet chili sauce substitute. However, it's unlikely that many people will have this in their cupboard, if you don't, then don't worry. You can actually use regular ketchup with a few tweaks!

Try using 1 tablespoon of regular ketchup mixed with 1 teaspoon of chilli flakes and ½ tablespoon of maple syrup.

Use in a 1:1 ratio as a sweet chili sauce substitute.

5. Plum sauce & hot sauce

OK, so plum sauce might sound like a bit of a rogue suggestion as a sweet chili sauce substitute. And maybe it is. But if you're in a pinch and you have both plum sauce and hot sauce in the cupboard then they will work!

It is often made from plums, sugar, ginger, vinegar, chili and salt. It's a brown, thick sauce so it's not super alike sweet chili sauce in look or texture either.

Albeit, plum sauce does have a plum flavour, so the overall finished dish will taste different to if you had used sweet chilli sauce. It's often used as a dipping sauce for spring rolls, in Chinese recipes and stir fries.

6. Sambal oelek

Sambal oelek is an Indonesian chili sauce that is made from an assortment of fresh chillies, garlic, sugar and a variety of other ingredients.

It's a pretty thick sauce, that has visible seeds and small pieces of chili in it. It's more garlicky and chunkier than Thai sweet chili sauce but still will work well if you haven't got anything else.

To replace sweet chili sauce, it will need to be sweetened. We recommend mixing 0.5 tablespoon of sambal oelek with 0.5 tablespoon of maple syrup to get a sweet chili sauce substitute.

Use this mixture in a 1:1 ratio as a sweet chili sauce substitute. Alternatively, you can use sambal goreng.

7. Hot sauce and vegan honey

A lot of people say to use hot sauce and honey. While we can't recommend the use of honey, vegan honey and hot sauce will work just as well.

Any type of hot and spicy chili sauce will work. Try tabasco sauce, cholula sauce or Frank's hot sauce or other hot sauces. You'll just need to mix it with vegan honey, or alternatively, maple syrup.

Stir together 1 teaspoon of hot sauce mixed with 1 tablespoon of vegan honey or maple syrup. You can even sprinkle in some red pepper flakes to make it really look the part. Try ½ teaspoon of red pepper flakes.

Use this mixture in a 1:1 ratio as a sweet chili sauce substitute.

🤨 What not to use

As with everything on the internet, there can be some pretty questionable recommendations out there! We've seen recommendations to substitute sweet chili sauce for BBQ sauce, Worcestershire sauce, hoisin sauce, Harissa sauce, fish sauce, soy sauce and tomato chili sauce. None of these options would be a good sweet chili sauce substitute. Therefore, we don't recommend them! If you don't have any of the suggestions in this list, it would be better to use red chili flakes and sugar in a recipe, than any of these recommendations!

💭 FAQs

👩‍🍳 Summary

In conclusion, finding a substitute for sweet chilli sauce isn't too challenging, so something in this list should work. While some sauces and ingredients make for a poor substitute due to their distinct flavors, others can be a great alternative, even made from common cupboard staples.

The best sweet chilli sauce substitutes are a combination of maple syrup, red pepper flakes or chili powder, and white vinegar or other spicy condiments like sriracha, sambal oelek, chili garlic sauce or spicy ketchup. These options will add the right amount of sweetness and heat to your dish, without sacrificing flavor.

However, it is best to avoid using BBQ sauce, plum sauce, fish sauce, tomato chili sauce, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, harissa sauce and Worcestershire sauce as they all have a completely different taste profile. Remember, the key to a good substitute is finding a balance between sweetness and heat, and experimenting with different ingredients and combinations to find the perfect one for your recipe.

We've written a few articles like this, so if you ever need them, check out the best substitutes for:

Miso Paste

Gochujang Paste

Shrimp Paste

Curry Powder

Bird's Eye Chili

📖 Recipe